Obama’s Failure to Communicate

President Obama tells CBS News that the biggest mistake of his first term boils down to communication with the public: emphasizing policy over storytelling.

“When I think about what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well, the mistake of my first term — couple of years — was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right,” Obama told CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose in an interview taped today.

“And that’s important,” Obama said. “But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.”

Wait. With all due respect, Mr. President, we know our story and whence our unity and purpose come, and for what we have real and authentic hope.

Mitt Romney chimed in, saying in a statement that, “President Obama believes that millions of Americans have lost their homes, their jobs and their livelihood because he failed to tell a good story. Being president is not about telling stories. Being president is about leading, and President Obama has failed to lead. No wonder Americans are losing faith in his presidency.”

Sheila Gribben Liaugminas, of Chicago, is a member of the Voices editorial board, and was host of The Right Questions on Relevant Radio and Issues and Answers news show. She and her husband have two sons, one a seminarian and the other a college student. Follow updates on this story (and contact Sheila) at www.inforumblog.com.

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